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Ohio Wesleyan Students to Visit India to Study ‘Living The Gandhian Philosophy’

March 9-18 Program Represents First Step in Collaboration with New Delhi-Based Women’s Liberal Arts College

This photograph was taken by Ohio Wesleyan students during an OWU Theory-to-Practice grant-funded trip to study children's welfare in Kolkata, India. From March 9-18, a delegation of OWU students will visit New Delhi to study the life of Mahatma Gandhi with students from Lady Shri Ram College for Women. (Photo courtesy of Addie Hemmen '12.)

DELAWARE, OHIO – In March 2010, Ohio Wesleyan University was one of only 10 U.S. colleges and universities selected to participate in the International Academic Partners Program in India. Two years later, a group of Ohio Wesleyan students will spend 10 days in India, learning more about the country and participating in a special program at Lady Shri Ram College for Women in New Delhi.

The Ohio Wesleyan students will travel to India from March 9-18, during their spring break. While there, the students will participate in a five-day program titled “Living the Gandhian Philosophy.” The program is being presented by Lady Shri Ram College for Women, consistently ranked as India’s best liberal arts college.

As part of the program, students from both institutions visit historic locations including Gandhi Smriti, a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi and the site where the political and spiritual leader spent the last days of his life. The students also will participate in lectures and discussions on Gandhi’s life work. They will conclude their collaboration with a joint service project. During the trip, the students will blog about their experiences at india.owu.edu.

To prepare for this educational and cultural experience, the Ohio Wesleyan students have participated in video conferences with their peers at Lady Shri Ram College. They also have viewed films about Gandhi and read texts on Gandhian philosophy and non-violent protest.

Students traveling to India for this inaugural collaboration are:

Shannon Dean, a technical theatre major from Princeton, N.J.

Brenda Gable, an international studies, Spanish, and pre-professional medicine major from Powell, Ohio.

Anna Jones, a psychology major from Delaware, Ohio.

Alecia Mitchell, an early childhood education major from Delaware, Ohio.

Emily Porter, an international studies and politics and government major from Paris, Ky.

Molly Rice, a sociology/anthropology and religion major from Brentwood, Tenn.

Kelsey Ullom, an international studies major from Delaware, Ohio.

The students will be accompanied on the trip by Ohio Wesleyan President Rock Jones, Ph.D., and Vice President for Student Affairs Craig Ullom, Ed.D. Ullom also traveled to India in November 2010, following Ohio Wesleyan’s being named part of the International Academic Partners Program (IAPP). At that time, he and representatives from the other nine colleges and universities explored ways to enhance ties between higher education institutions in the United States and India. It was during these visits that the seed was planted for Ohio Wesleyan to develop a relationship with Lady Shri Ram College.

“Ohio Wesleyan is committed to providing students with opportunities for travel-learning throughout the world,” Jones said. “We believe it is vital to prepare our students for leadership and service in a global society. Our collaboration with Lady Shri Ram College helps us to fulfill this important mission. We also look forward to exploring other educational opportunities while in India.”

Jones and Ullom will host gatherings with Ohio Wesleyan alumni, parents of current students living in India, and prospective students and their families in Mumbai and New Delhi. They also will meet with officials from the United States-India Educational Foundation, and Jones will present a seminar to Indian high school students and their parents about liberal arts colleges in the United States.

The IAPP initiative is overseen by the Institute of International Education (IIE), a nonprofit organization that works to create study and training programs for students, educators, and professionals worldwide. Other IIE programs include the prestigious Fulbright Program and Gilman Scholarships, which it administers for the U.S. Department of State. The U.S. Department of Education also is supporting the India initiative through its Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education.

Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier small, private universities, with more than 90 undergraduate majors, sequences, and courses of study, and 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Located in Delaware, Ohio, just minutes north of Ohio’s capital and largest city, Columbus, the university combines a globally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities that translate classroom theory into real-world practice. OWU’s close-knit community of 1,850 students represents 47 states and 57 countries. Ohio Wesleyan was named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction, is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” and is included on the “best colleges” lists of U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Learn more at www.owu.edu.